COULD there be a workers' revolt in Egypt in the near future? Thousands of angry workers have threatened to stage a general strike on May 1, Labour Day, if the Government doesn't accept an Administrative Court ruling, which stipulates setting a new minimum wage, sufficient to cope with the constant price rises. Unlike in many other countries, Labour Day here has always been a day for celebration, with the Government announcing a pay rise and giving prizes to workers who have distinguished themselves in various fields. This year, however, things might be different as most workers are angry, because the new investors and owners of privatised companies and factories have been treating them unjustly or because the governmental institutions they work for insist on paying them peanuts, not enough to live on. This could explain the repeated demonstrations and sit-ins recently held by thousands of workers on the pavement outside the Parliament and the Cabinet in central Cairo, complaining of the tyranny of the new owners of their factories, who haven't given them their financial dues and have forced many of them to take early retirement. Many workers, employed by governmental and private companies, want a minimum wage of at least LE1,200 (around $220) per month. Supported by the Administrative Court ruling, the angry workers have threatened to launch a nationwide strike on May Day if their demands are not met by the Government. In other words, the demonstrations being held by workers for various reasons might all be gathered into one unified demonstration: calling for a pay rise and for the Government to end the perceived injustices being perpetrated by many new investors against their workers. The Government shouldn't underestimate these workers' discontent. It should try and find an acceptable solution to their problems before things get out of control.
